Breadcrumb
Careers & Alumni
Equipped with critical thinking skills that integrate knowledge of the human world and physical environment—combined with cutting-edge geospatial technologies—our graduates are prepared to pursue meaningful careers across a wide range of sectors. From advocacy to city planning, conservation to data science, our students apply spatial thinking to analyze complex human-environmental systems.
Geography students develop a deep understanding of cultural and environmental systems, social and spatial justice, and the forces shaping global change. They are trained to ask big questions, work across disciplines, and communicate clearly with diverse stakeholders. Through independent research, fieldwork, and community-based projects, they gain real-world experience that prepares them for public service, nonprofit work, education, graduate study, and more.
Geospatial Science & Technology students build strong technical foundations in GIS, remote sensing, environmental modeling, and data visualization. They graduate ready to map, analyze, and interpret complex spatial data, and apply these tools to real-world problems in environmental management, wildfire response, land use planning, and public health, and other high-demand jobs in spatial data analytics.
Related job titles
Geography
- City and Regional Planner
- Environmental or Climate Justice Advocate
- Peace Corps Volunteer / Program Officer
- Watershed or Natural Resource Council Staff
- Environmental Educator / Outdoor Education Leader
- Community Development Specialist
- Cultural Resource Manager
- International Development Consultant
- Nonprofit Program Manager (e.g., sustainability, housing, food security)
- Policy Analyst (environment, housing, land use)
- Public Health Geographer
- Social or Environmental Impact Assessor
- Park Ranger or Recreation Planner
- Environmental Communication Specialist
- K–12 or Informal Educator
- Research Assistant or Program Evaluator
- Graduate School (Geography, Urban Studies, Planning, Sustainability, etc.)
- Climate Adaptation or Resilience Coordinator
- Transportation or Mobility Planner
- Tribal Environmental Program Assistant
Geospatial Science & Technology
- GIS Analyst / Specialist
- Remote Sensing Technician
- Geospatial Intelligence Analyst (e.g., NGA, FEMA)
- Cartographer / Digital Map Designer
- Drone Pilot / UAS Technician
- Environmental Modeler
- Urban Data Analyst / Smart City Planner
- Wildfire or Disaster Risk Analyst
- Conservation GIS Technician
- Geospatial Software Developer or Support Specialist
- Hydrologic or Watershed GIS Specialist
- Spatial Epidemiologist (Public Health Mapping)
- Forestry or Land Use GIS Analyst
- Geospatial Project Manager
- Transportation or Infrastructure Analyst
- Climate and Energy GIS Specialist
- Database or Spatial Data Manager
- 3D Visualization / Terrain Modeling Specialist
- Geospatial Consultant for Tribal, State, or Federal Agencies
- Graduate School (GIScience, Environmental Informatics, Spatial Data Science, etc.)
Marketable Skills for Geography & Geospatial Science Graduates
- Written and oral communication skills
- Public speaking and visual storytelling
- Conflict resolution and mediation
- Team-based project collaboration
- Communicating scientific and spatial concepts to diverse audiences
- Field-based data collection and research design
- Sampling, surveying, and interviewing techniques
- Policy and spatial impact analysis
- Qualitative and quantitative data analysis
- Community-based research and participatory mapping
- Interpretation of social, cultural, and environmental data
- Geographic Information Systems
- Cartographic design and digital map production
- Remote sensing and aerial image interpretation
- Environmental modeling and spatial statistics
- GPS data collection and mobile mapping
- Web mapping and data visualization tools
- Urban and regional planning principles
- Natural resources and land use planning
- Environmental impact assessment
- Program design, implementation, and evaluation
- Project management and stakeholder engagement
- Applied understanding of sustainability principles
- Climate adaptation and resilience planning
- Ecosystem and natural resource management
- Place-based analysis of environmental and social systems
- Equity-focused environmental decision-making
- Systems thinking and integrated problem solving
- Spatial justice and place-based analysis
- Ability to synthesize interdisciplinary knowledge
- Navigating complex human-environment interactions
Need help with your career plans?
Get in touch with the Cal Poly Humboldt Career Development Center.
Geography Alumni
2014
Sara Matthews
Program Coordinator
Tahoe Resource Conservation District
South Lake Tahoe, CA
"Joining the HSU Geography program is one of the best decisions that I’ve made. The mentorship and support that I received at HSU helped me develop critical thinking skills that undoubtedly have allowed me to succeed, both in my graduate education and in my career. In addition to GIS and cartography, my job calls for a nuanced understanding of the complex issues that surround land management and conservation. There is nothing better for this than Geography. Being a geographer has honed my ability to understand the world around me; for that, I am forever thankful."
2018
Mithra Derakshan
Park Ranger, National Park Service
Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area, CA
"Since graduating from HSU, I landed my dream job working as a park ranger for the National Park Service at Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area, which is the world’s largest urban park. I help visitors from all over the world understand the unique natural and cultural treasures of the region. I always wanted to work for the Park Service, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without HSU Geography. HSU Geography professors connected me to an internship at Redwood National Park during my first semester, and the skills I learned during this time—endurance, commitment, teamwork—are ones integral to my work today. HSU Geography helped me believe in myself and accomplish my dreams."
2018
Massimo Lambert
Freelancer/Consultant
Sebastopol, CA
"HSU Geography taught me the importance of community, in academics and life. Having such a tight-knit group of hardworking peers and knowledgeable professors at HSU has defined the way I approach political organizing work with San Francisco Rising and the Sunrise Movement Bay Area, as well as the storytelling workshops I facilitate with Storycenter. My GIS and cartography skills have translated into permaculture designs for Black-owned
farms in rural Mississippi, and I have found that my education continues to define the way I see the world and my passion to make positive change."
Geospatial Science & Technology Alumni
2016
Monica Moreno-Espinoza
Research Data Analyst II (GIS)
Division of Research, Innovation & System Information
California Department of Transportation, Sacramento, CA
"HSU Geography and its faculty fostered immense growth in me as a researcher. They challenged, guided, and inspired me to go above and beyond what I thought I could do. Until recently, working in Eureka as a GIS Analyst in the division of Right of Way Engineering for Caltrans, I utilized my research and GIS skills to analyze data from old maps and deeds to meet my division’s needs. I recently transferred to Sacramento, where I support the Caltrans linear reference system and perform analysis of project impacts to the surrounding environment. I am
excited for this new chapter in my life, and I am forever grateful to HSU Geography."
2015
Albert Gonzalo Bautista
Geospatial Technical Program Manager I
Uber, Palo Alto, CA
"HSU Geography gives you access to a community that will help you grow your interests and professional career. Geography provides a unique set of concepts, theories, and methods that lead to developing a dynamic array of skills that apply to various career paths in government, technology, and more! It was my training at HSU Geography that provided me with the skills and knowledge needed to tackle a career starting as a GIS Data Analyst, then promoted to Technical Program Manager at Uber."
Alumni Updates
Mason Gedanken
Geography, 2016
Mason Gedanken, 2016 Geography, landed a job with a consulting company as an intern. The job primarily consists of OSP, and fiber optics, and have Gedanken has learned quite a bit about utility poles, and how Telecom works. Gedanken has been out in the field collecting data from utility poles like Pole Tag, class, anchor information, telephone, and cable TV. Recently, he has been making maps of pole information using Google’s My Maps and plotting where the poles and the strands are located.
Jocelyn Keranen
Geography, 2013
Jocelyn Keranen, 2013 Geography, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania, where she worked on agriculture and gender empowerment projects in a small village near the Great Rift Valley and Masai Steppe. After two years living in a village she added another year onto her service. Currently, Keranen is serving in Dar es Salaam as the National Malaria Coordinator. After my service, she plans on pursuing a Master’s of Public Health in Global Health
Kelly Jean Muth
Geography, 2012
Kelly Jean Muth, 2012 Geography, has been pursuing her goals of becoming a professional disc golfer. After graduating from HSU, where she participated in the Humboldt State Disc Golf Club, Muth has participated in several national competitions and has been ranked No. 26 in the world by the Professional Disc Golf Association.